A fluorescent light without the usual glowing filament of an incandescent bulb, instead contains a mercury vapor that emits ultraviolet light when ionized. Ultraviolet light causes particles to cover the inside of the tube to glow or fluoresce (see How fluorescent lamps work for details).
Fluorescent actuators are used in some types of fluorescent lamps. Starter kit is available to help light up. When voltage is applied to fluorescent lamps, this is what happens:
The starter (simply a timer switch) allows current to flow through the filaments at both ends of the tube.
The current causes the starter contacts to warm up and open, thus disrupting the flow. The tube lights.
Because the fluorescent tube is illuminated with low resistance, the ballast now serves as the current limiter.
When you turn on a fluorescent tube, the starter is a closed switch. The filament at both ends of the tube is electrically heated and they create an electronic cloud inside the tube. Fluorescent starter is a delay switch that opens after a second or two. When it opens, the voltage on the tube allows a stream of electrons to flow through the tube and ionize the mercury vapor.
Without a starter, a steady stream of electrons was never created between the filaments and the strobe light. Without ballasts, the arc is a short circuit between the filament and this short circuit contains a lot of electric current. Electric current either evaporates the filament or causes the bulb to explode.